


Early Winter

by danielnelsen



Series: Danny Nelsen [11]
Category: Hollywood U: Rising Stars
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-26
Updated: 2015-05-26
Packaged: 2018-04-01 07:37:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4011310
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/danielnelsen/pseuds/danielnelsen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The aftermath of Chris' proposal in French Kiss, from Danny's perspective. Written before the release of the next date, so it may not follow what happens in that and I may rewrite it then. This story kicks off at the very end of the date, right when Chris has proposed.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Early Winter

“Say yes,” Chris said, his eyes sparkling and the sincerest of smiles on his face. He gazed up at Danny, his expression leaving no doubt in the director’s mind that he meant every one of his words. **  
**

Danny stared at Chris in stunned silence for a few seconds, trying to process the situation. Sure, he had seen the jewellery box on Chris’ nightstand earlier that evening, but there had been a part of him - and a very convincing part at that - that just hadn’t been able to believe it. He knew that Chris was incredibly serious about their relationship, but he had never expected that their trip to Paris would end with the movie star on one knee. He slowly raised his right hand to cover his mouth as the reality of the proposal hit him. He trembled slightly as Chris’ smile faltered.

“D-Danny?” he asked, concern instantly filling his eyes. “Is… is that a yes?”

Danny gave a small hiccough into his hand, struggling to think of a way to explain his feelings to Chris without completely crushing his heart. He felt his eyes begin to fill with water, threatening to spill over. He slowly crouched down, his hands shaking, and placed a hand on Chris’. His thumb brushed the jewellery box and he looked carefully at the diamond-encrusted ring.

“Chris…” he breathed, blinking a few tears out of his eyes. He watched Chris’ eyes follow them down his cheeks, before returning up to meet his. Any last glimmer of hope in his expression had faded and he looked at Danny with a mix of confusion and devastation. “I’m sorry, Chris.”

Chris’ shoulders slumped and he slowly lowered the box, looking down at the floor. “But I… I thought…” he trailed off, and the two of them knelt in a tense silence for a few seconds. “I really thought you loved me like I love you,” he finished eventually. “I need you in my life, Danny. I can’t imagine living without you.”

Danny gave a small sob into his hand. “Chris, please–”

“I love you more than anything and I thought you felt the same and…”

“Chris–”

“…I felt like now was the right time and I  _need_  you, Danny. I lo–”

“ _Chris!_ ” Danny put his hands on Chris’ shoulders. “Please stop,” he said softly.

Chris looked back up at Danny and they stared at each other for a moment.

“Why?” Chris asked, finally. “Why won’t you marry me?”

At the question, Danny shook with a few more sobs. “Chris, this is just… it’s too soon. We’ve only known each other a few months.”

“Danny, I knew from the first moment I met you that this is what I wanted,” he sighed. “I’ve been in love with you for what feels like forever.”

“But it  _hasn_ ’t been forever. We click, Chris. Our personalities work so well together and we get along, but I have no idea what you’re really like - not the Chris who I would be living with and spending all my time with. We’ve never spent more than a few days together at a time,” Danny explained. “And when we have had bad times, I don’t think we’ve handled them very well.”

“Danny, we’re good…” Chris reached up to stroke Danny’s cheek as more tears rolled down it.

Danny have a small shake of his head. “You listened to Megan over me in a matter than involved  _our_  relationship. It had nothing to do with her, but you let her talk you into not trusting me. It’s only been a few weeks since then, but we haven’t even talked about it. And, besides, what about Sofia?”

Chris tensed. “Wh-what about her?”

“You loved her and you had a great romance and were married for a year, before you couldn’t stand her anymore.” Danny shook his head. “You were in love with her.”

“Danny, that’s not the same. She was rude. She complained. You’re not like that…”

“But how would you know?” Danny asked. “You said everything was wonderful before you got married. You didn’t see who she really was until later. We’ve been to so many incredible places, Chris, but we’ve never stopped to just spend real time with each other. We’re always _doing_  something. How do you know you’d still love me when it really counts?”

Chris looked as if he was about to cry as well. “Danny, I’ll  _always_  love y–”

“Like you were sure you would always love her,” Danny cut in. “But that’s not even the point, Chris.” He reached around to the back of Chris’ neck to play with a few stray strands of his hair. “We’ve never discussed marriage, and you know I’m dating other people. What does that mean for them? Why have you assumed that I would choose you over all of them? I’m  _not ready_ , Chris. Not for  _anyone_. The thought of actually getting married and settling down and…” Danny shuddered, his voice breaking. He leant his head forward to rest it on Chris’ shoulder. “It terrifies me, okay? And if we’d discussed it then you’d know that. I’m only twenty-two, Chris… I’m not ready for this.”

“Things don’t have to change…” Chris replied softly.

Danny placed a light kiss against the side of Chris’ neck. “Then don’t change them.”

Chris slowly placed the jewellery box on the floor and wrapped his arms around Danny, his hands running across his back. Danny could feel his chest shaking and knew that he was crying, too. They stayed in their embrace for a few silent minutes, before Danny finally pulled out of Chris’ arms.

“Let’s just get back to the hotel,” he suggested, and Chris gave a small nod, his eyes reddened.

“I’ll, um…” He cleared his throat. “I’ll book another room. You can stay in the suite.”

“What?” Danny cupped Chris’ cheek in his hand. “Chris… I’m not breaking up with you.

“You’re… not?” Chris asked slowly, and Danny shook his head. The relief on his face made Danny feel awful that he had let Chris believe otherwise, even for just a few minutes. “But either way, don’t you want some space?”

“Things are good with us, Chris. We have some stuff we need to work through, but we’re in a good place. I want to spend this time with you, if you’re okay to do that.” He leant forward so that his lips lightly brushed Chris’. “I know you’re hurt, Chris, and we’ll have to talk about this, but I don’t want it to tear us apart.”

Chris picked up the jewellery box and gradually stood up, holding out his hand to help Danny to his feet. “Let’s go, then.”

They rode the elevator back down to the ground floor of the Eiffel Tower in silence, standing a few feet apart and both staring pointedly away from each other. Once back out in the fresh night air, Danny began to walk back in the direction of Chris’ town car, but stopped when he realised Chris wasn’t following him.

“You coming?” he asked hesitantly, trying his hardest to meet Chris’ eyes.

Chris gave a small shrug and replied quietly. “I think I’ll walk.” He fiddled with the box in his hands, and Danny reached out to take it from him.

“I think you’d regret it later if anything happened to this.”

“It’s worthless to me, Danny,” Chris replied.

Knowing that nothing he could say would help, Danny stepped forward to pull Chris into a tight hug. He pressed a kiss against his cheek before pulling away.

“Don’t be out too late,” he advised, then took a few steps in the direction of the car. “I’ll see you later, yeah?”

Chris gave a single nod, and Danny turned to walk the rest of the way to the car. He climbed in and sunk into his seat, sighing. “Back to the hotel, thanks,” he muttered to the chauffeur. “Chris will find his own way to get back.”

As the car began to move, Danny looked down at the box in his hands and lifted the lid. He ran a finger over the top of the ring and gently prised it out of the box. It was definitely beautiful and Danny didn’t even want to think about how much it must have cost. He held it at the tip of his left-hand ring finger for a few seconds, wondering how much more perfect it would look in its intended place, before quickly moving it away. He couldn’t do that. Instead, he brought the ring to his lips and pressed a soft kiss against it, then placed it back in the box, which he snapped shut. Leaning back in his seat, he began to cry again, and clutched the jewellery box tightly until the car arrived back at the Four Seasons Hotel George V.

Danny went straight up to the penthouse suite and into the bedroom, loosening his tie and slipping it off. He placed it on a chair, followed by his jacket, and he unbuttoned his shirt as he sat down on the side of the bed. He turned the box over in his hands a few times, before placing it on his nightstand and lying back on the bed. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, and closed his eyes.

“How did this happen?” he sighed to himself. All he wanted to do was snuggle up in Chris’ arms and tell him how much he meant to him, but he knew that would probably only hurt Chris more. Why was it that the times when people didn’t want to be near him were the times that Danny needed someone the most?

He sat back up, his head spinning, and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He skimmed through his contacts and his finger hovered over Chris’ name for a few long seconds, before he gave a small shake of his head and scrolled up, choosing a different number. He held the phone against his ear and breathed slowly while it rang, wiping a few more tears from his eyes.

“Danny!” a cheerful voice greeted him.

Danny hesitated for a few seconds, before replying. “Hey, Ethan.”

“What’s up? It’s about ten thirty there, so should you and Chris be… busy?” he asked, amusement clear in his tone.

Danny shrugged, momentarily forgetting that Ethan couldn’t see him. “I…” he began. “I just felt like talking to you.”

Probably registering Danny’s tone, Ethan paused for a few seconds. “Is everything alright, Danny? Are you okay?”

“No, I’m… I’m really not,” he replied quietly.

“Are you hurt?” Ethan asked quickly, his voice slightly panicked. “Are both of you safe?”

“Yeah, we’re fine.”

Ethan gave a small sigh of relief. “What’s happened?”

Danny had no idea how to explain the situation to Ethan. He barely knew how to explain it to himself. He sniffed a few times, trying not to cry again. Ethan seemed to work out that he was having trouble talking, and tried to continue the conversation.

“I’m guessing Chris isn’t there, yeah?” Danny made a small noise of affirmation. “Did the two of you have an argument?”

“No!” Danny said quickly. “I mean… Not really. Not an  _argument_ … We just…” He fell silent for a long moment, his eyes stinging. “I wish I was back home,” he finally said. “I just want to be back in my dorm and have my friends and my bed, and I want things to be simple and to stay the same, and I just want to be home.” His chest shook as he continued to cry, clinging to his phone like a lifeline.

“Oh, Danny…” Ethan sighed, and Danny knew exactly how he would hug him if he was there in person. He would pull Danny against him, wrapping his arms around him in a way that made him feel completely safe and welcome. He would rub his back and whisper reassurances while Danny buried his head in his chest and held onto him as if his life depended on it. He could remember exactly what Ethan smelled like and what the fabric of his suit felt like against his cheek and he longed for the sensations. He felt awful and conflicted that he wanted to be with Ethan so badly when he was supposed to be focussing on Chris, but he couldn’t deny that all he wanted was to be in his agent’s arms.

“Chris, uh…” Danny started, trying to force the words out. “Chris proposed.”

“He  _what?_ ” Ethan gasped. “What did you say?”

Danny swallowed, running his free hand through his hair. “I told him I wasn’t ready. And I just… I don’t want anything to change. I like where we were at earlier in this trip and I don’t want to break up with him, or anything, but I don’t know if that’s gonna work.”

“Are you okay, though, Danny?” Ethan sounded concerned. “I know you’re not comfortable with the idea of getting married at the moment, so how are you coping with that?”

Danny shivered. “I don’t know… I didn’t think something like this would affect me so much, but it’s all happened so quickly. It was so unexpected and I just… I didn’t know what to do. I should have handled it better…”

“Don’t put yourself down over this, Danny,” Ethan cut in. “Marriage isn’t a light decision and you have a right to react to that, especially if it was sudden. You haven’t ever discussed it with him?”

“No, never,” Danny mumbled. “I knew he was serious, but not that much.”

“Danny, no matter how serious he is, he should still have discussed it with you beforehand. He knows you’re not exclusive. He shouldn’t have expected anything less than a strong reaction from you, and I don’t know why he presumed it would be a positive one.”

“He was really sure I was going to say yes,” Danny explained. “I feel awful for rejecting him. He’s so heartbroken…”

Ethan sighed. “This isn’t your fault, Danny. He needs to understand your side of this. If he thought you’d accept then he doesn’t know you as well as he should if he wants to marry you. Hell, even I know you better than that.”

“I… I miss you, Ethan.” Danny’s voice was small and Ethan’s reply came immediately.

“I miss you too, Danny.” He paused. “You’re coming home tomorrow, aren’t you? We’ll see each other in a day or so. I know you, Danny; you’re strong enough to get through this, and I’ll be here for you whenever you need me.”

“I always need you,” Danny replied, before he had a chance to really consider his words.

Ethan was quiet for a moment, and Danny tried to remind himself that he was on a date with Chris, but he couldn’t lie to Ethan. Ethan was the person he always ran back to when he needed someone; the person who was always willing to help him, no matter the trouble it could cause for him. He was right, too - he knew Danny better than Chris did, and it made a huge difference.

“Look, Ethan… I should go. Chris will probably get back soon and I need to be here for him.”

“Of course,” Ethan said. “I probably won’t talk to you again before you leave, so I hope you’re able to make the most of the rest of your trip. Have a safe flight, and come and see me when you get back, okay?”

“Yeah, I will,” Danny agreed. “Thank you. I really needed to talk.”

“No problem. I always have time to talk to you.”

Danny smiled. “See you later.”

“Bye, Danny.”

Danny hung up and tossed his phone onto his nightstand, next to the jewellery box. He let out a long sigh, pulling himself to his feet and wandering into the en suite to take a shower. He let the hot water and his thoughts of Ethan relax him, and was finally able to let his mind drift back to Chris and how they were going to handle the rest of the trip. It all depended on how Chris was acting when he got back to the hotel, which meant that there wasn’t much Danny could do until then. But he would do his best to reassure Chris that their relationship was okay; that this was just a hurdle that they could get over.

Finishing his shower, Danny tied a towel around his waist as he stepped back into the bedroom, drying his hair with a second towel. He stopped in the doorway, his eyes falling on Chris, who was sitting on the side of the bed.

“Hey,” he said, walking over to the actor and sitting down next to him, placing the second towel aside and wrapping his arms around Chris. Chris leant into Danny without speaking, his skin cold as his hands pressed against Danny’s chest and he rested his head against the director’s shoulder. “Chris…” Danny murmured into his hair, rubbing his back slowly. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Chris’ warm breaths falling across Danny’s collarbone.

“I’m so sorry, Danny,” Chris finally breathed. “I understand why you said no, and I really want to make things right. I want us to talk and to spend more time getting to know each other. I’m so in love with you and I want to spend my life with you, Danny, more than anything, but I understand. I’ll always be here if you change your mind, no matter how long it takes. I just want you to be happy, and I’ll be here for you whenever you need me.”

“I know,” Danny replied quietly. “But please don’t apologise. Both of us have things we need to work on. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“Don’t be,” Chris said, lifting his head. Danny tried to control his expression, but couldn’t help a small smile at their circular apologising. Chris’ lips curved up in return, until Danny began to giggle and soon they were both laughing. They pulled each other into a tighter hug and Chris sighed. “Are we okay, Danny?”

“Of course we are,” Danny replied, kissing Chris’ neck.

“Look… some of the things you said…” Chris trailed off, grimacing. “I should have listened to you during the whole Megan thing, and I–”

“Shhh,” Danny shushed, pressing his lips against Chris’ for a few moments. “We need to talk, but it’s been a long enough evening already. Let’s get some sleep. We’ll talk later, okay?”

“Okay,” Chris agreed with a grateful smile.

Danny pulled out of his arms and stood up, untying his towel as he walked back into the bathroom to hang it up. He strode back into the bedroom, Chris watching his every move, eyes alight.

“What?”

Chris smirked. “You have no shame, do you?”

Danny grinned, grabbing a pair of boxers and pulling them slowly up his legs. Once they were in place, he snapped the waistband with his thumb, making Chris chuckle.

“You’re the only guy I’ve ever seen make  _boxers_  sexy, you know?”

Danny took a few steps back towards the bed and straddled Chris’ lap. “Yeah, yeah, talk dirty to me, Fireman.”

Chris gave a loud laugh and let Danny push him down onto his back and lean down to press hard kisses against his neck. “That is by far the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say, Danny.”

“Now, Chris, that wasn’t very dirty,” Danny murmured, moving his lips up to Chris’ ear.

“I thought you wanted to get some sleep.”

Danny kissed along Chris’ jaw, towards his mouth. “Do you need a dictionary, baby?”

Chris closed his eyes for a few seconds. “Uhhh… give me a minute.” Danny propped himself up on his elbows and looked down at Chris’ face. “Okay, um… I want to, uh…”

“Yes?” Danny prompted, grinning again.

Chris cleared his throat. “Wait, no, I want  _you_  to–”

“What do you want me to do to you, baby?”

“Um…” Chris’ expression was strained with concentration. “Uh…” He looked helplessly up at Danny, who giggled, pressing his face down against Chris’ shoulder.

“You’re  _so_  bad at this, Chris. Why don’t you pretend you’re acting and you’re just saying your lines?” he suggested.

Chris attempted a shrug. “I never act when I’m around you, Danny.”

Danny’s grin softened. “How you manage to make everything so sweet and cheesy astounds me, you know.”

Chris blushed. “Sorry.”

Danny shook his head, pressing a light kiss against his forehead. “No, don’t stop.”

“You’re gorgeous, Danny,” Chris smiled. “And, uh…” His smile slowly widened. “Maybe you shouldn’t have put your boxers back on.”

“Oh yeah?” Danny moved his lips back to Chris’ neck. “And why’s that?”

Chris’ chest slowly rose and fell again before he continued. “Because… Because you’re going to fuck me,” he said strongly, and Danny gave a mock gasp.

“Did that sentence really just come out the mouth of  _Chris Winters?_ ”

Chris’ cheeks darkened further as he moved his hands down to Danny’s waist. “Don’t make me do that again. That’s all I’ve got.”

“Fair enough,” Danny murmured against the soft skin under his jaw. He reached down to undo Chris’ jacket and shirt, then his pants. “And I’ll be more than happy to oblige.”

* * *

Chris was still asleep when Danny woke up the next morning. The actor’s arm was draped across his chest and his breath was falling on Danny’s shoulder, making the director give a content sigh. Trying not to disturb Chris, he reached across to his nightstand to grab his phone, and his hand closed around the jewellery box, instead. He paused, before picking it up and pushing it open with his thumb. He stared at the ring for a long minute, before he gave a start as Chris pressed a kiss against his shoulder. He quickly closed the box and moved to put it back on the nightstand, but Chris reached up and lightly grabbed his arm.

“What do you want to do with it?” he asked softly, and Danny turned to look at him.

“What do you mean?”

Chris gave a small shrug, sitting up and taking the box from Danny. He reopened it and ran his fingertips over the ring with a distant smile on his face. “Like I said yesterday; it’s worthless to me now.”

“But not to me,” Danny replied quietly. He also sat up and placed a hand over Chris’. “Just because I don’t want to marry you doesn’t mean I don’t care.” He leant his head against Chris’ shoulder. “Just because I want to take this slower doesn’t mean I don’t love you.”

“You know… I’ve never even noticed before,” Chris began, “but I think that’s the first time you’ve actually said you love me.” He sighed. “It really was too soon, wasn’t it?”

Danny gently prised the jewellery box from Chris’ hands. “I want to keep it.” Chris looked surprised, and Danny shrugged. “It’s a reminder of how much you love me. That makes it special to me. Besides, I don’t have to wear it just because I keep it.” He took the ring out of the box. “Not on my finger, anyway.”

Chris blushed. “You want to… wear it somehow?”

“Why not?” Danny closed his hand around the ring. “It’s important to me. I could put it on a string and wear it as a necklace, or something.” Chris was silent. “What?”

“You really care that much?”

Danny gave him a small smile. “If you have to ask that, then you  _really_ shouldn’t have been proposing.”

Chris wrapped an arm around Danny’s shoulders and pulled him closer. “I’m sorry again. No, really,” he added, seeing that Danny was about to protest. “Just… in light of everything with Megan… I wanted to show you that I trusted you again. And… I guess I was worried I’d lose you.”

“It’s fine, Chris, I understand.”

He shook his head. “But it’s not fine. It really upset you.  _I_  really upset you. But you still want to keep it?”

Danny leant in to give Chris a sweet kiss. “Of course I do. Now, come on. We’re flying back to L.A. this afternoon, so is there anything else you wanted to do for our last few hours in Paris?”

Chris gave a small shrug. “I suppose we could just walk around the city, take in the sights.”

“No famous landmarks?” Danny asked. “No guidebook?” he teased.

Chris chuckled. “No guidebook. Just us.”

Danny took Chris’ hand in his. “Sounds like a plan.”


End file.
